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Overview

Fish Audio models support 64+ emotional expressions and voice styles that can be controlled through text markers in your input. Add natural pauses, laughter, and other human-like elements to make speech more engaging and realistic.

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How It Works

Simply wrap emotion tags in parentheses within your text: 
(happy) What a beautiful day!
(sad) I'm sorry to hear that.
(excited) This is amazing news!
The TTS models will automatically recognize these markers and adjust the voice accordingly.

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Complete Emotion Reference

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Basic Emotions (24 expressions)

(angry) (sad) (excited) (surprised) (satisfied) (delighted)
(scared) (worried) (upset) (nervous) (frustrated) (depressed)
(empathetic) (embarrassed) (disgusted) (moved) (proud) (relaxed)
(happy) (calm) (confident) (grateful) (curious) (sarcastic)

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Advanced Emotions (25 expressions)

(disdainful) (unhappy) (anxious) (hysterical) (indifferent)
(uncertain) (doubtful) (confused) (disappointed) (regretful)
(guilty) (ashamed) (jealous) (envious) (hopeful)
(optimistic) (pessimistic) (nostalgic) (lonely) (bored)
(contemptuous) (sympathetic) (compassionate) (determined) (resigned)

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Tone Markers (5 expressions)

Control volume and intensity: 
(in a hurry tone) (shouting) (screaming) (whispering) (soft tone)

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Audio Effects (10 expressions)

Add natural human sounds: 
(laughing) (chuckling) (sobbing) (crying loudly) (sighing)
(groaning) (panting) (gasping) (yawning) (snoring)

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Special Effects

Additional markers for atmosphere and context: 
(audience laughing) (background laughter) (crowd laughing)
(break) (long-break)
You can also use natural expressions like “Ha,ha,ha” for laughter without tags.

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Usage Guidelines

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Placement Rules

For English and Most Languages:
  • Emotion tags MUST go at the beginning of sentences
  • Tone controls can go anywhere in the text
  • Sound effects can go anywhere in the text
Correct: 
(happy) What a wonderful day!
Incorrect: 
What a (happy) wonderful day!

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Combining Effects

You can layer multiple emotions for complex expressions: 
(sad)(whispering) I miss you so much.
(angry)(shouting) Get out of here now!
(excited)(laughing) We won! Ha ha!

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Sequential Emotions

Change emotions throughout your text: 
(excited) We're launching tomorrow!
(nervous) I hope everything goes smoothly.
(confident) But I know we're ready!

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Advanced Techniques

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Emotion Transitions

Create natural emotional progressions: 
(happy) I got the promotion!
(uncertain) But... it means relocating.
(sad) I'll miss everyone here.
(hopeful) Though it's a great opportunity.
(determined) I'm going to make it work!

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Background Effects

Add atmospheric sounds: 
The comedy show was amazing (audience laughing)
Everyone was having fun (background laughter)
The crowd loved it (crowd laughing)

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Intensity Modifiers

Fine-tune emotional intensity with descriptive modifiers: 
(slightly sad) I'm a bit disappointed.
(very excited) This is absolutely amazing!
(extremely angry) This is unacceptable!

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Model Capabilities

FeatureFish Speech 1.5OpenAudio DevOpenAudio Pro
Basic Emotions242424
Advanced EmotionsLimited2525
Tone Markers555
Audio Effects61010
Intensity ModifiersNoYesYes
Background EffectsNoYesYes

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Language Support

All 30+ supported languages can use emotion markers:
  • English, Spanish, French, German: Emotions must be at sentence start
  • Chinese, Japanese, Korean: More flexible placement allowed
  • Arabic, Hebrew: Right-to-left text considerations apply

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Best Practices

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Do’s

  • Use one primary emotion per sentence
  • Test different emotion combinations
  • Match emotions to context logically
  • Add appropriate text after sound effects (e.g., “Ha ha” after laughing)
  • Use natural expressions when possible
  • Space out emotional changes for realism

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Don’ts

  • Don’t overuse emotion tags in short text
  • Don’t mix conflicting emotions
  • Don’t create custom tags - use only supported ones
  • Don’t forget parentheses
  • Don’t place emotion tags mid-sentence in English

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Common Use Cases

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Customer Service

(friendly) Hello! How can I help you today?
(empathetic) I understand your frustration.
(confident) I'll resolve this for you right away.
(grateful) Thank you for your patience!

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Storytelling

(narrator) Once upon a time...
(mysterious)(whispering) The old house stood silent.
(scared) "Is anyone there?" she called out.
(relieved)(sighing) No one answered. Phew.

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Educational Content

(enthusiastic) Welcome to today's lesson!
(curious) Have you ever wondered why?
(encouraging) That's a great question!
(proud) Excellent work!

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Marketing & Sales

(excited) Introducing our newest product!
(confident) You won't find better quality anywhere.
(urgent) Limited time offer!
(satisfied) Join thousands of happy customers!

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Troubleshooting

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Emotion Not Working?

  1. Check placement - Emotions must be at the beginning of sentences for English
  2. Verify spelling - Tags must match exactly as listed
  3. Include parentheses - Tags must be wrapped in parentheses
  4. Confirm model support - Check the model capabilities table

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Unnatural Sound?

  • Space out emotional changes
  • Use appropriate intensity
  • Test with different voices
  • Add context text after sound effects

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Performance Notes

  • Emotion markers don’t count toward token limits
  • No additional latency for emotion processing
  • All emotions available on all pricing tiers
  • Maximum of 3 combined emotions per sentence recommended

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Quick Reference Tables

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Emotion Intensity Scale

Base EmotionMildModerateIntense
Happysatisfiedhappydelighted
Saddisappointedsaddepressed
Angryfrustratedangryfurious
Scarednervousscaredterrified
Excitedinterestedexcitedecstatic

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Common Combinations

ScenarioEmotion ComboExample
Whispered Secret(mysterious)(whispering)“I have something to tell you…”
Angry Shout(angry)(shouting)“Stop right there!”
Sad Sigh(sad)(sighing)“I wish things were different. Sigh.”
Excited Laugh(excited)(laughing)“We did it! Ha ha!”
Nervous Question(nervous)(uncertain)“Are you sure about this?”

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See Also